The Taste of Apricots
by DandyBoyDaniel
Summary: Dom!Draco/sub!Theodore. Draco and Theodore are on a Mediterranean holiday together. Graphic M/M slash.


"The Taste of Apricots"

Draco held the small, plump apricot to Theodore's lips and said, "There is nothing more pleasing to the tongue than a fresh, ripe apricot picked at the height of the season."

"I could think of a few things," said Theodore with a cheeky grin before biting into the succulent fruit.

Draco gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure you can. But you'd be hard pressed to find another apricot that tastes better that the ones from this tree."

They were picnicking underneath a copse of apricot trees outside their summer home in Corsica. Everything about the day glowed and made Theodore feel warm and comfortably lazy. He loved being here alone with Draco, spending leisurely hours nestled together in the revitalizing sun.

There was a natural flow of time and activity that perfectly coincided with the height of the sun, the influx of the tides, the direction of the wind. Here, his own whim and the weather controlled what Theodore did. At home, at Malfoy Manor, Draco controlled everything. Which was fine. At the manor, Theodore needed structure and discipline, schedules and routines. It gave him a purpose. His life was devoted to serving his lover completely. And in return, Draco adored him and revered him as his most precious possession.

This was Draco's annual reward to Theodore for being a dutiful submissive. A month at the villa in Corsica seemed like too long for Draco, though Theodore could have spent the entire summer there. He could tell that Draco periodically itched to enforce some sort of structure upon their life here. And in some small sense, there really was regularity, though no applied order. Every day there would be sleeping, eating, sun worshiping of some sort, and love making (lots of love making). It was reliable enough for Theodore. He understood that Draco had to work hard at relinquishing his utter control to the will of Nature and Theodore's fancy. Theodore appreciated that Draco did this for him out of love.

When Draco showed signs of getting bored and anxious, Theodore would subtly offer him opportunities to exercise his compulsive need to structure things, to satisfy his urge to control. There were obvious things, like ritualistic spanking, which Theodore always enjoyed, especially the fantastic sex that usually ensued. And then there were less obvious things, like asking Draco to plan dinner, which he did so with utmost precision. That could usually occupy their whole day with meticulously choosing ingredients at the market and then carefully preparing them. The reward was always a three-course meal lovingly cooked and beautifully arranged.

As their final week approached, Theodore could tell Draco was itching to return to their normal regimen of strict schedules and routines. He seemed desperate to control something. But rather than cut their holiday short, he devised a plan. It was unusual, but it was not a practice unheard of amongst a bonded Dominant-submissive pair.

In the morning, before Draco awoke, Theodore went out to pick a basket of apricots, selecting all the ripest fruits from the trees. He placed the basket on Draco's bedside table so that he would wake up with the luscious, sweet scent.

"Apricots," Draco mumbled with a smile, eyes still closed. "What a doll you are, my love."

Theodore cuddled next to Draco on the white bed linens as he stretched lazily. "Like you said, there's nothing more pleasing to the tongue," he said with a little hint of mischief flashing in his blue eyes.

Draco nuzzled his face into Theodore's neck and gave him a gentle nip. "Maybe you're a close second."

Theodore feigned indignation. "_Maybe_ a close second?"

Draco flicked his tongue against Theodore's skin and drawled playfully, "You're too salty. You know sodium is bad for my blood pressure."

"What if I tasted of apricots?" Theodore proposed.

"Then I'd eat you every day." With this, Draco's teeth made contact with Theodore's neck again, but this time much more firmly and deliberately. It sent a pleasant shiver down Theodore's spine, radiating all the way to his groin.

"I can make it happen, you know," he declared.

Draco snorted sarcastically, "What, are you going to do? Bathe in mashed apricots every day? I don't fancy you so sticky."

"I heard that if you eat one thing and only that one thing, every day for a week, you end up taking on the essence of that thing. So if I only ate apricots, I'd eventually taste of apricots." Theodore was dead serious. He could see the sparks of interest manifesting as silver flares in Draco's grey eyes.

"That would require an uncanny amount of self-sacrifice and discipline, Theodore." His lips were grazing Theodore's neck. "I have no doubt that you can do it. With my guidance, of course."

Theodore's strict apricot diet was not difficult at first, though it was certainly boring, especially considering the tantalizing cornucopia of seafood and produce the Mediterranean had to offer. Every day, Draco made it his job to oversee the precise selection of fruit from the apricot trees and the proper preparation of the fruit by the house elf. For breakfast, Theodore was served diced apricots and a tablespoon of plain yogurt (he needed protein.) For lunch, the elf brought Theodore sliced apricots. Throughout the day, he was only permitted to snack on apricots, usually eaten whole. For tea, Theodore ate apricot sorbet. And for dinner, Theodore was presented with baked apricots. By the fourth day, he was quite through with apricots and began to dislike them. He craved something with a firm texture, something savory, something other than fucking apricots. Draco must have recognized that it was becoming difficult, though Theodore did his best to remain stoic and never complained, lest his lack of discipline disappoint his lover.

"What an exceptionally good boy you are, Theodore," Draco commended him with a reverent caress upon his cheek. Theodore understood that when Draco called him a boy, he was referring to his position as the submissive one in their special relationship. It was a term of endearment most of the time, unless Draco was displeased, in which case it was used to denigrate him.

Theodore beamed, having won the admiration of his partner. It gave him the encouragement he needed to continue this subtle self-torture.

On the fifth day, Theodore was quite sickened by apricots, to the point where the thought of eating one made him wretch. He skipped breakfast and lunch because of it and resigned to sleeping away his hunger. Draco wouldn't let Theodore sleep all day and urged him to come out for a game of chess on the sunny terrace. Theodore felt faint and dizzy under the hot sun. He could see flashes behind his eyelids when he closed them. His eyes shut one last time and he saw nothing but white.

When he regained consciousness, he was in bed. Draco was sitting beside him, holding his hand and applying a chilled wet washcloth to his forehead. Theodore whimpered, "I'm sorry, Draco. I failed you."

Draco gave a small reassuring smile. "You haven't. You simply pushed yourself beyond your limits. You really must eat something."

On the nightstand was a porcelain bowl of diced apricots. Theodore's stomach lurched. "Oh gods. Please, anything but apricots."

"You can do this, Theodore," Draco insisted softly with an adoring smile. "I'll make it easier for you." He began to unbutton his white linen shirt. "I'll even make you love it." His smile quirked into a seductive smirk.

Theodore sat up and watched Draco undress, feeling a hunger of another kind.

Draco was such a good Dominant because he understood how a good submissive should behave. He knew how to serve and how to please, and would have made his master very happy were he ever inclined to be a slave. Theodore in turn learned how to serve Draco not only through punishment, but through example. Right now, Draco was exhibiting his skill as a loving servant.

Theodore couldn't take his eyes off Draco's elegant nude form as he straddled his lap. Draco's movements were so fluid and seductive. He plucked a juicy piece of apricot from the bowl, poised it at Theodore's lips, and drawled smoothly, "You're going to have to eat something. You'll need your strength so that you can fuck me."

He'd do anything for Draco right now. Theodore quite forgot how much he hated apricots and closed his mouth over the offered piece of fruit, licking the sweet nectar from Draco's fingers with a pleased moan. He ate several pieces in this manner, savoring the taste of Draco's skin with each bite.

"Good boy," Draco whispered. "I knew you could do it." He put the next piece of fruit between his teeth and delivered it to Theodore's mouth with a kiss. Theodore let his tongue linger in Draco's mouth before pulling away to chew and swallow.

The apricot at the bottom of the bowl was very ripe and juicy. Draco smeared a particularly succulent piece over his nipple and gave Theodore a smoldering glance. Theodore leaned forward and swirled his tongue over the pert nub, licking the juices off Draco's chest. He mused that apricots were much more palatable when flavored with Draco, which made Draco giggle.

"And soon Theodore will be more palatable when flavored with apricot." He lovingly fed the rest of the apricot pieces to Theodore, who happily accepted it without any reservations.

His reward was fantastic sex – a rare and treasured instance in which Draco bottomed for Theodore. As he slowly rode Theodore's cock, their lips separated only to gasp for air or to cry out with pleasure. Draco was particularly ravenous when he kissed Theodore, licking his lips and suckling his tongue. And Theodore knew why. He was beginning to taste of apricots. This was confirmed first-hand when he licked Draco's arse clean after coming spectacularly inside him.

On the seventh and final day of the apricot diet, which fell two days before they returned to England, Draco declared that he would create a sumptuous feast for Theodore consisting of everything but apricots. Of course, this was quite exciting for them both. Draco loved organizing dinner, and Theodore loved the idea of not eating apricots anymore.

Theodore was surprised that Draco delegated the task of cooking this special dinner to the elf, especially considering how happy it made Draco to select items from the market that he knew were Theodore's favorites. "I want the rest of the day off," Draco explained.

"Ah of course," Theodore said with an understanding nod, "It's our final two days in Corsica. Shall we take the boat out one last time?"

Draco shook his head slowly with a devious gleam shining in his silver eyes. "No. We're going to spend our last two days in bed."

Theodore raised an eyebrow, though he was not opposed to the idea.

"You were on this apricot regimen for a reason," explained Draco. He pulled Theodore flush against his body and let his lips gently graze Theodore's throat. "I want to taste you. Every part of you."

They spent the whole afternoon making love into the early evening, during which Draco remarked every so often that Theodore really did taste of apricot, to his utmost delight.

"Fuck, even your sweat tastes like apricot," Draco said as he ravaged Theodore's neck with biting kisses as he pounded him from behind.

He noted with his face nuzzling the back of Theodore's head, "You smell like apricots everywhere. Your hair, your skin, your breath. It's so lovely."

Theodore couldn't stop smiling, so proud was he to please his lover this much. It was the best sex they'd had in a while, which was saying a lot, since sex with Draco was always wonderful. Draco made Theodore wear his custom-made silver cock ring so that he wouldn't come too soon, or so Theodore assumed. But it became evident that Draco was saving Theodore's release for something brilliant.

Draco had climaxed twice already when he slipped off the cock ring and descended upon Theodore's lap with parted, desirous lips. His tongue dragged along the underside of his length as he moaned. "Your cock tastes so good," Draco whispered with breathless desire. Theodore couldn't remember the last time Draco sucked his cock with such fervor. It was really an awesome thing to witness. Theodore could hardly contain himself as he watched Draco easily take his entire length down his throat, eagerly slathering him with the wet, warm softness of his mouth.

Draco paid special attention to Theodore's sensitive cock head, mouthing the tip sloppily. Theodore delighted in the moist sounds Draco made as he applied his mouth lovingly. Draco's tongue dipped into the slit, drawing out a generous dollop of pre-come. Draco's eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Oh my fucking gods. Your come tastes like apricot."

Theodore couldn't help but giggle. He was so pleased with himself. "Still think I'm only the second most pleasing thing to your tongue?"

"You're the best thing I've ever tasted," declared Draco breathily. "Come for me, my love."

Just as he was skilled enough to hold back his release when Draco wanted him to, he could also let himself go at Draco's command. Draco's lips were tight around Theodore's erection, gripping the spasming flesh just past the head while his hand stroked deftly to draw out every drop of essence he'd been carefully reserving. It was so copious and thick, Draco had to pull away to keep from choking. It spilled over the head, but not a drop was wasted. Draco lapped up everything with such ecstatic zeal, it could have made Theodore come again, were it possible.

When Draco kissed him, Theodore could taste himself in his lover's mouth. It was sweet and tart and salty all at once. And as they lay in each other's arms, basking in the warmth of their love and the heat of the summer's end, Theodore knew his sacrifice had been worth it.

"You know, there is a briar of raspberries on the property. They're quite good," Draco said with a knowing grin.

"Next year."


End file.
